The Kiss
by ice-lemon-tea
Summary: She, a poor girl who is an infamous Klutz. He, a rich boy who is the ace of the basketball team. Can a single kiss break all differences, and bring them together...forever?
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: Slam dunk and its characters do not belong to me.  
  
The Kiss  
  
Chapter 1: Prologue  
  
She was late.

It was the first day of school for the year and she wanted to leave a good impression on her form teacher. Fumbling with the straps of her bag, she rushed through the hallways._Where the hell is class 2/10? Stupid school. Why did they have to build it like a maze? I swear if I had money, I would tear the whole school down and... There! 2/10. Just around the corner!_In her excitement, she ran round the corner, only to trip and fall._Oh shit. Not again. Falling on the first day of school. How wonderful. I'll get to be Ms Klutz in the yearbook again._Her eyes closed, she waited for the impact of the fall that would surely knock the breath out of her, but it never came.Surprised, she opened her eyes, only to find herself staring into cold cerulean orbs.She froze, and time seemed to freeze along with her. She could vaguely hear sounds around her in the hallway but she could only concentrate on the warmth spreading through her lips.The first thought that ran through her mind when the surprise had worn off: _My first kiss._Searching the cerulean orbs that were right in front of her, her heart seemed to stop._Those eyes... they look very familiar. They look like eyes I've been looking for every day, every minute, every basketball game...  
_Then reality struck her.

They were Rukawa Kaede's eyes.

She had just kissed Rukawa Kaede, ace of the basketball team.

She could feel her heart thumping away and his soft lips on her. A tingle seemed to pass through them and for that second, she seemed to sense a warm heart under that cold exterior.

Then...

"Get lost. How dirty."

Flinging her to one side, Rukawa Kaede walked off with a disgusted look on his face, as if he had just kissed a pig.

Embarrassed, she stalked off quickly. For a moment just now, she thought he had felt something too. But she was wrong. To him, she was only dirt.  
  
__

_Stop your daydreaming. You are a klutz; he's an ace basketball player. You are poor; he's rich. He will never fall for you._

Her romantic fantasies came crashing down.

A/N: This is my first fic so sorry if it's lousy! Please review so I can know how it is and whether to continue. Thanks!!!


	2. Project!

Many thanks to my first two reviewers—Bluecherry and Virginia Choir! Your words were so encouraging so I decided to continue... Thanks a lot!!! Enjoy =)  
  
Chapt 2: Project?!

Rukawa Kaede was bored.He could vaguely hear the teacher droning on and on about the history of Japan—about Samurais and feudal lords, which he decided, was not any of his concern since he was not planning to be a samurai in future. Perhaps if the teacher was talking about basketball players like Michael Jordan, he might just sit up and take notice.But then again, he reasoned, teachers were too stupid to think up of such interesting topics to talk about. After all, their heads were even emptier than a basketball.Ignoring the teacher as usual, he let his thoughts drift, while his eyelids droop. He had mastered the art of thinking with his eyes closed and with drool coming out of his mouth. After all, closing his eyes should help even more with his concentration, shouldn't it?Sifting through his memories of the past few days to find something interesting to dream about, he was suddenly confronted of one with a wet moistened mouth stuck to his lips. At first thought, he was disgusted.It was his first kiss and he had actually given it to a pig! Well, not exactly a pig, considering the fact that the girl in question did indeed have big, blue eyes that seemed to look right into his soul, black wavy hair that he would love to run his hands through, and red lips that tasted of—_Wait. Where did those perverted thoughts come from?_Shaking his head to clear his mind of unlawful thoughts and visions of lips, he decided that the kiss must have robbed him of his sanity. He was, after all, the Iceman, and besides the fact that it was the stupid kiss's fault, he could not think of any other reasons that would make him think of that girl. Or it could probably be the fact that there was nothing else better to do here, what with the sensei talking about some uninteresting idea of having a pair work thing whereby an intellectually challenged person would pair up with an intellectually advanced one to increase their EQ ... mashimoto fuji would pair with kenji naoki, Rukawa Kaede would pair up with Riko Irie—_What? Not another troublesome girl again..._Turning his head, he looked around for his partner, so that he could give her another one of his killer stares to warn her not to mess with him._That must be the one... The one who is glancing at me..  
_Settling his face into his usual icy cool mask, he moved his eyes steadily up her face._She looks familiar... just like..._Their eyes met._The girl I kissed that day._A/N: yippee!! He's taking note of her! jumps about happily blah not sure if he's too o/c in this chapt... review and tell me how to improve k!! 


	3. The start

Here's the 3rd chapter! Hope you will like it! Thanks to all reviewers!  
  
Virginia Choir: Yes!! I can imagine her being chased after Rukawa's fan club too!! While wearing pink and carrying banners... -bish them- Thanks for the review!! Hope you will cont. reading =D  
  
Yun Fei: hmm...yar. That's true. Haha maybe he's just acting cool. But that's what I like about him!! His coolness...-swoons-  
  
Blueberry: haha what's the title of the movie? Maybe I should go watch it to get inspiration.. I've having writer's block now! Can't think of what to write. But actually I suppose the beginning is kinda cliché so maybe many shows have it before.. hehehe  
  
Ray: Thanks!! Hope you'll enjoy this chapter!  
  
Chapt 3: Sitting next to each other  
  
"As part of this project, both you and your partners have to be together during one whole week of school, shadowing each other, whether is it during curriculum time or after school activities. You will be graded on how well you work together as well as on the report you have to submit on what you have learnt during this period of time. Enjoy. But remember, it counts towards 20 % of your marks." Kurozawa sensei remarked with an evil gleam in his eyes.  
  
He had purposely ensured that each student had been paired up with someone that they disliked. This was to pay them back for all the pranks they had played on him and for calling him baka behind his back. Did they think he was oblivious to the bad things about him that they were spreading around school? Well, this would pay them back. Double.  
  
Kurozawa silently congratulated himself on the brilliant plan he had thought up of. Pairing them up with their archenemies was easy enough. Especially for Rukawa Kaede. Kurozawa knew that he hated all the girls in class, so paring him up with someone he disliked was easy. As for his partner, he was almost stumped at first as to finding someone who disliked Rukawa Kaede. Almost all the girls and even guys were part of the Ru-ru fan club (Rukawa's fan club). And then he remembered Riko Irie. She was not part of the fan club and had never spoken to Rukawa before. He dared not say she disliked him, but at least, she was not crazy over him like those fans of his.  
  
Ah... how brilliant he was...  
  
Looking at the look of agony and dread on each of the students' faces as he announced to them his big plans, his smirk got wider.  
  
"Now, move next to your partners."  
  
Hearing the groans and grumbles around him, a sense of satisfaction rose in his heart. Now he remembered why he wanted to be a teacher in the first place. To torture people legally.  
  
Then, he noticed one pair that had still not moved to each other.  
  
Irie Riko and Rukawa Kaede.  
  
Riko was still staring at Rukawa with a look of pure shock on her face and Rukawa had just gone back to sleep.  
  
"Irie! Next to Rukawa now!"  
  
Riko moved grudgingly towards Rukawa, putting her things on the desk next to him. She was not happy about working with Rukawa. She was humiliated enough after the last incident with him and this pair work thing only reminded her of the humiliation. The worse thing was, he was well-known for his indifference to people and she supposed that this one week of pair-work was going to be of deep agony for both of them. Well, for her at least. She would probably get to enjoy the feeling of being an invisible person following behind Rukawa Kaede's back.  
  
But then again...  
  
She looked hard at his features. His eyes were closed and his chest was moving rhythmically to breathing. He seemed just like an innocent baby, and his skin looked so smooth and soft. She wondered how it would feel like touching it and—  
  
His eyes suddenly snapped open.  
  
"Do'ahou," he said, his eyes a steely blue.  
  
Riko turned away, her head bowed, face flaming.  
  
_He must think that I am some sexually deprived person from his Ru-ru club..._  
  
She scoffed at that idea. She liked him of course. Which girl did not? But it was not like her to go about displaying her affections so openly. And, she thought wistfully, the Ru-ru fan club would never allow her to enter. She was too poor for one. Sighing, she started arranging her stuff on the table.  
  
Rukawa heard her sigh and opened one eye to see what caused this sudden drastic change in her mood. One moment she was looking at him like some perverted girl and the next, she was sighing?  
  
_ None of my business._  
  
Closing his eyes, he tried sleeping again but he could not. For some reason, her sitting by his side distressed him. He felt uncomfortable around her. Sure, he did not like others' company and they were a source of discomfort too. But it was a different type of discomfort as it was with her. With her, he felt a sense of anger. Anger towards himself for taking notice of her. Shaking his head angrily, he willed himself not to think about her to go back to sleep.  
  
Nestling his head against his hands, he rearranged himself in a more comfortable position and started visualizing her in his mind. Realising what he was doing again, he sat up with a start.  
  
_ Shit. I must be going crazy._  
  
Author's note: Hey! Sorry... I think this chapter was a little boring and draggy. -Makes face- Must be because I have been studying physics the whole day and I think my mind is turning stuffy and mouldy. Not to mention that I'm going to suffocate soon by all those work, energy power and stuff. -turns blue in face-  
  
Mock exams are coming soon. Pray for me that I'll survive! Go on! Review to make me feel better! Hehe =D 


	4. Gym

aquiyang: Thanks!! Hope you liked the story. Hehe maybe u could give me some ideas on how to show her klutziness (is there such a word???)  
  
ray: haha I'll try and write a longer one this time! My Bio mock exam today was horrible =( but thanks for the good luck anyway!!  
  
Yun Fei: 5!!! Physics sucks totally...especially considering the fact that my physics teacher is totally sadistic and she enjoys torturing people... hmm. Maybe I should get her to join Rukawa's fan club so she could torture Riko too! –runs away from knives thrown by Rukawa-  
  
Maybe my physic's teacher is like Kurozawa.. =D  
  
Chiche: Ok! I'll try and do a longer one. =) And I hate Mary sues too!! Yucks! thanks for the review!

* * *

Chapt 4: Gym  
  
The final bell rang. School was over. Gathering her stuff and packing her bag, Riko stood up, preparing to leave the class.  
  
She was trying to mentally decide if she should go to the library to catch up on her homework or if she should go around looking for a job.  
  
_Job..._  
  
Her spirits dropped just thinking about that word. Again, she was reminded of the bad economic situation at home. Her mother's job as a cashier at a supermarket did not pay much and they were already having difficulties trying to make ends meet. Her father... that good-for-nothing scum had walked out of the family after taking whatever money they had.  
  
_What a wonderful home huh...  
_  
She sighed bitterly. If she did not go and look for a job today, she reasoned, she probably would not even have any food on the table by next week. But then again, she might not even have a table. The landlord had threatened to throw them out of their house if they did not pay the three months rent they owed him.  
  
_What about the project thing? Weren't she supposed to be with her partner for after school activities?_  
  
Throwing a look at her still sleeping partner, she squared her shoulders. That can wait. Finding a job was more important. And, not like HE would care anyway.  
  
Sighing resolutely, she walked towards the rows of lockers outside the classroom to dump her books into the locker.  
  
_Uh-oh. Trouble._  
  
Her locker door suddenly closed with a bang. Turning up, she found herself staring face to face with Rei Tanamachi.  
  
_Oh it's her. For a moment, I thought it was a pig._  
  
Rei Tanamachi. Daughter of the chairman of Tanamachi Holdings. Chairman of the Ru-ru club. Rich, pretty, smart. And her archenemy since she poured water all over her skirt. Not that it wasn't worth it for seeing her horrified face (_oh! My Gucci skirt!),_ but still, it wasn't wise to cross Rei's path.  
  
Instead, it was very dangerous. Very dangerous indeed.  
  
Rei had been picking on her ever since they stepped into the same class. And they were in the same class for two years! Sucking in a deep breath, she wondered what it was again.  
  
_Laugh at my hair for looking like a mop again? Or accuse me for stealing her Prada handbag? Not that she have enough brains to think of that, considering the empty-headed look she has on her face everywhere she w—  
_  
"So... Rukawa's partner now, aren't you?" Rei glanced at her menacingly.  
  
Riko eyes darted nervously to the sides, looking for an escape path. Not that she could not fight with Rei. She was sure she would even be able to pull some hair out of that thick head single handedly. But...  
  
Her eyes laid on the followers around Rei  
  
_Fighting singled-handedly was out. Not to mention trying to escape._  
  
"You better stay away from him. Or we would never let you off. Not that he would pay any attention to you with your filthy hair and disgusting face. Plus the fact that you are _poor_." Rei spatted out the last word like it was filth. Her followers laughed.  
  
"Or maybe we should let you see an example of what we would do to you if you ever dare to harm our precious Rukawa sama." Raising her hand to slap her, Rei smiled sadistically.  
  
Riko closed her eyes, tilting her face daringly for the slap.  
  
_If she dares to hit me, I'd..I'ld_  
  
Then,  
  
"Oi, are you coming?"  
  
Riko opened her eyes in surprise. What she saw made her even more surprise.  
  
Standing right in front of her, with his arms crossed and a bored look on his face, was Rukawa.  
  
"Rukawa kun! How nice to see you here! We were just talking to your nice partner. How poor thing of you to be stuck with her for one whole week." Rei said in a fawning tone, walking towards Rukawa and placing one hand over his.  
  
Throwing a disinterested look towards Rei and her followers, he shook off Rei's hand and repeated his words, with his gaze directed at her.  
  
"Oi, are you coming?"  
  
She could feel her face heating up at being addressed by him. She said the first words that popped up.  
  
"Huh? Go where?"  
  
"I have basketball practice."  
  
With that, he strode off, in the direction of the gym.  
  
Willing to do anything, everything, just to escape from the clutches of Rei and her followers, she hurried to catch up with him, praying that Rei and her followers would not stop her. As she predicted, they did not. They would not risk bullying her in front of their darling Rukawa-kun, she thought with a snort.  
  
Reaching his side, she took a deep breath.  
  
"Thanks," she said lamely.  
  
"Hn." He grunted, and stepped into the gym which they had just reached. Making his way towards the net, he started practicing his shooting, occasionally pretending to be playing against an invisible defender.  
  
Not knowing what to do, she walked towards one of the benches and sat down. It was lucky, she decided, that it was not the team's practise day today, or she would feel even more out of place. Concluding that it was rude of her to just leave to find her job now, considering that he had saved her (even though his reply towards her thanks was a "hn"), she settled herself more comfortably on the bench and watched him.

He was good. She gave him credit for them. Practically every one of his shots went in and he dribbled the ball with incredible speed.

Perhaps he sensed her watching him. Turning around, he glanced at her with his killer- blue eyes.  
  
"Get one of the mops by the side and mop the floor. What do you think I asked you here for? To slack?"  
  
Stunned for a moment, she stood there, not believing what she heard. To think that she had thought that he was a gentleman for saving her. Then, anger at being spoke to like a slave engulfed her.  
  
_Gentleman... begone!_  
  
Walking towards the side of the gym to get the mop, she reasoned that that was the only thing she could do to repay his 'kindness' for saving her. She would never want to owe that cocky guy any favor. Besides, it was not in her nature to do so. She prided herself on being independent.  
  
_Slack? I'd show him I can mop this gym as well as anybody!_  
  
With an iron-hard resolve, she walked towards the mop.  
  
_I would not fall. I would not make any mistakes. I would not let him look down on m—_  
  
"Wham!"  
  
She had knocked into the bleachers along the way. What a wonderful way of showing him how graceful she was.  
  
_I would not cry. I would not cry. I would not let him think I am a crybaby aside from being a klutz._  
  
She struggled to ignore the pain and to stand up. But her knees buckled under her weight and she found herself on the floor again.  
  
_He must really think I am a klutz now._  
  
"Sit still. You've sprained your ankle." He was by her side, speaking in a commanding tone. Yet, his touch was surprisingly gentle as he examined her ankle.  
  
Then, he vanished into a room at the corner of the gym and appeared in a moment with a first-aid kit. Kneeling by her side, he helped her to bandaged her ankle.  
  
Riko stared at Rukawa in disbelief. She did not know what to make of him. One moment he was cold and the next? She could only stare at him wordlessly as he took her ankle.  
  
At the contact of his hands and her ankle, a jolt seemed to surge through both of them. It jolted her out of her senses and she jerked away. What was she doing, accepting help from this conceited guy?  
  
"I don't need you help!" Yanking the bandages over, she started bandaging her ankle herself. He handed the bandages over without a word, as though he could not be bothered. For a second, she felt something twitch in her heart. Had she been hoping that he would do something? Protest, refuse to hand the bandages over... anything?  
  
He would never, she scoffed.  
  
That momentary display of warmth was probably due to pity, she decided. Standing up, she tried to leave the gym to return home. Any longer in the gym and she would probably die of embarrassment. Grimacing under the pain, she fell again. Why must her ankles, she blamed, fail on her at this point of time?  
  
Suddenly, she felt a pair of strong arms lifting her up. Looking up in surprise, she almost double over in shock.  
  
_He's carrying me on his back._

__  
  
Chapt 4 done! Hope you guys like it! I tried to make it longer. Hope it wasn't badly written!  
  
Go on... just click that button down there! Review please =D


	5. Avoid

Bluecherry: haha I'll try =) thanks for your review!!!  
  
Sol: heh thanks!! Sorry about the cliffhanger =p hope you weren't too irritated or dismayed... I'll try and make it longer!  
  
Kammylee: yeah I love rukawa kun too! Hmm but maybe I should try attempting a fic on other characters. Like Fujima or sth. =p thanks for your review! U guys really make my day! –beams-  
  
Yun Fei: hmm...-scratch head- now I'll have to think up of a reason!  
  
Snowfox11: Thanks! Hope you'll continue to read and review! =D  
  
Ray: heh good that you like it! =D that makes me happy too! . well physics wasn't any much better today. What subs do you take?

* * *

Chapt 5: Avoid?  
  
"Let me down! NOW!" Riko was screaming hysterically, while pounding on Rukawa's back, using every method known to mankind to try and get herself down from his back, and away from his arms. She was greatly insulted by the fact that he had belittled her so much until he was obliged to carry her.  
  
_Not like you mind. You seem to enjoy looking at his back profile a lot,_ a little voice somewhere deep in her brain said pointedly.  
  
_Shut up!_  
  
Sure, she could not deny that he was good-looking, and she did enjoy looking at his muscular back a lot, but –  
  
_This is all from an artistic point of view all right!_ She retorted back defensively to that little voice in her head, trying to convince it (and herself) that she was just admiring the muscles just like how an artist would admire the creases on a vase.  
  
And she did not believe herself. Not one word of it.  
  
Snapping out of her reverie, she continued pounding on his back and screaming, trying to get him to release her. Never in her life had she suffered such humiliation! Treating her like she was some doll who had no legs, and just—  
  
"Do'ahou," a voice retorted from the front.  
  
—just throwing her over his back without asking if she minded! And calling her "do'ahou" like she was some stupid person who did not understand any other words beside that! REALLY!  
  
She was mortified and angry at how little he made of her. Not to mention that he was ignoring her attempts to get down besides his "doahou", she thought with a sniff.  
  
Rukawa was indeed trying to ignore her attempts to get down. The screams were easy enough. He just had to shut down his hearing mechanisms. He was used to that already, having done it every day in class when Kurozawa sensei was talking, and in the gym when that baka Sakuragi was screaming.  
  
But the poundings were different. Each blow caused him much pain. And not like his back had recovered fully from the last basketball tournament when he had fell after one of his opponents fouled him.  
  
_This is all for a good cause_, he reminded himself for the 300th time. Disbelievingly.  
  
Frankly speaking, he did not understand what good cause he was doing this for. The girl did not seem to be appreciating his effort. He was, he concluded, a little demented. Besides being demented, what else could explain his actions for the past two hours?  
  
He was confused. And he did not like it. Not at all. He hated dealing with his emotions and never had much experience dealing with it. After all, he never felt much emotions.  
  
_Until SHE appeared,_ a small voice reminded him.  
  
Closing his eyes, he tried to sort out his feelings and thoughts. He did not know what possessed him to ask that girl to the gym. He liked being by himself and had never liked company. 'Never' was a mild word for what he felt. It was more like he DETESTED company. And people.  
  
_ Well then, she must be different from others_, that annoying voice sounded again.  
  
_ No! It's just...it's just... Well, it was for a good cause..._ He finished lamely, using the only reason he could think up. And had been using for the past two hours.  
  
Well, it really was! He had seen her standing by the locker, surrounded by a group of girls who looked like they wanted to eat her up. And she was looking so weak and frail-looking that something inside him just snapped and he asked her.  
  
And then there was the bandaging thing at the gym. He only knew he felt a little anxious when she fell. And his anxiousness was all he remembered. He did not remember getting the first-aid kit and did not even realise he was helping her bandage her ankle until he felt that tingle when he touched it.  
  
And now this. He really did not understand. Somehow, he did not mind her company as much as he minded others. And even her screams did not sound as irritating as that of Sakuragi. It sounded kind of....melodious.  
  
_ Melodious??!_  
  
He really must be going out of his mind, he decided. The glass windows of the house he was passing by, he suspected, seemed to have started developing cracks.  
  
_ Melodious_, he scoffed.  
  
But there was really something different about this girl, he reasoned, besides her _melodious _voice, to make him feel this way. To be willing to invite her to the gym, to be willing to bandage her ankle, to take her home and—  
  
Wait. Home. He did not know where her home was yet.  
  
Honestly, was he becoming so demented until he was planning to carry her to Tibet???  
  
Settling her down on the ground, he turned around to face her, asking gruffly, "Where's your house?"  
  
The screams had stopped, he noted with a certain satisfaction. Even his well-trained eardrums were starting to feel a little strain by now and he was thankful for the silence.  
  
"It's okay. I can go back by myself. It's only a short distance more. And I can stand properly now." She was shifting from feet to feet, eyes looking at the ground. He could sense her discomfort and did not pursue the matter.  
  
"Yeah. So thanks." Limping slowly, she made her way down the road. Rukawa watched her till she turned the corner. In fact, he was a little thankful that she left. He was starting to feel a little afraid of his actions and his emotions. This was NOT like him at all.  
  
Shaking his head, he turned and walked off in the other direction, towards his house.  
  
_ Maybe it was only a dream..._

_._

Riko had woken up the next day to find out that it was indeed not a dream. For one, her ankle was still bandaged, and it was throbbing like mad. Going to visit the doctor was definitely out, she decided, what with the fact that she did not even have money to buy food.  
  
Money...  
  
The word hit her with a sinking realization. She had not gone to find her job yet. She was planning to go yesterday after Rukawa's training, but what with her sprained ankle and her humiliation at being carried at him, she had forgotten!  
  
_Oh... how could she have forgotten_? Berating herself, she decided that she just had to skip school today to get a job.

.

Rukawa looked at the empty seat next to him. He wondered why she was not here today. Perhaps her ankle had not healed yet.  
  
But then again, why should he care? After waking up in the morning and realizing that it was not a dream, he had decided that his actions were all a moment of madness and should not be taken into account. The best way, he decided, of solving the problem, was to keep as far away from her as possible. He was not going to be like those old woman he saw at the marketplace trying to help the fisherman sell his fish. No, he was going to keep to his own business and not be nosy.  
  
He saw no flaws in that plan. Not that he would do stupid things the next time he saw her (since his actions was all due to a moment of madness and he did not believe he could be mad a second time), but better to be safe than sorry, right? If he avoided her, and did not see her at all, there was no way that he would fell prey to the same madness.  
  
So it was good that she was not here today. Putting his head against the table, he fell into a deep slumber that he so needed. He had miss out a large portion of his sleep last night just to think up of his plan.  
  
Silently congratulating himself on his wonderful plan, he slipped off into slumber, ignoring what Kurozawa sensei was saying again.

* * *

Author's note: I'm so sorry that the chapter is so short again this time! I tried to write it longer but as you can see, I failed miserably. –buries her head in shame- I had a writer's block. But at least it wasn't a cliffhanger this time, right? And don't worry, I'll try to make it up to you next time!  
  
But frankly speaking, I seriously have no idea which direction this story is heading towards. It's just giving me this feeling that it's a very cliché story and I'm starting to think it's lousy. =( Not to say that Rukawa's getting OOC. Ahhhhh!!! Comments anyone? Ideas would be most welcome!  
  
Please review =D And I'm really sorry again that it's short! 


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